Day 9 - Palma De Mallorca

I was up with the moon and the sunrise once again.  It was another great view from our balcony as we headed to Mallorca for our final port of the cruise.  The weather was looking great.  We headed up to the Yacht Club sundeck to meet our friends for coffee and breakfast.  

As we sat on the couches, Giada, the Yacht Club Director came over to ask about our cruise.  I had told her it was really great except for some of the items in the Yacht Club Restaurant.  She seemed truly disappointed to hear this and offered us a specialty dining but we told her that we had booked the dining package and still had one meal left.  Then she offered us tickets for the shuttle to the city center.  We had planned to get a cab but since she offered these we used the bus.  It was very sweet of her to give us this and we thanked her.  She told us to meet in the lounge to be escorted to the shuttles.  

The ride was pretty quick to the city center and you can see the stunning cathedral as soon as you step off the bus.  We bought tickets for the cathedral and the terraces.  This Gothic cathedral is one of the most stunning I have visited.  It has one of the tallest naves in Europe at 44 meters tall.  The Rose Window is a masterpiece that casts the most amazing colors upon the pillars.  We found the entrance for the terraces, this time it was not an elevator, but a spiral staircase.  I led the way for our group up the winding staircase that seemed never ending.  I noticed a small number on the column (it was a number in the sixties) and realized it must be the number of steps.  The official number is 215 but we made it and it was worth it!  Chris noticed an AED at the top and thankfully no one needed that.  It was not an easy climb and I was so proud of Ammie. Remember this was her anniversary trip for being done chemotherapy after all and I had been pushing her all week!  The reward of the climb is an amazing view of Mallorca and being up close to the flying buttresses and Rose Window.  We all took many pictures and soaked in the views before climbing back down the staircase which was definitely much easier.

A reward was definitely earned after that so our next stop was Mercat de l’Olivar.  This is another spot I learned about from iFit.  One of my favorite trainers, Tommy Rivs walked this market in his latest series.  It was busy but we found a great place to get some drinks and tapas.  We ordered a nice selection that included olives, tortilla, gambas al ajillo, pan con tomate, patatas bravas, calamari, and ham and cheese.  It was so delicious and my cava was incredibly refreshing.  For dessert, I really wanted to try ensaimada which is a pastry from Mallorca.  I wasn’t sure which to try so I let them pick the one they thought best.  It was a cream filled one that tasted out of this world.  It reminded me of the pastel de nata from Portugal with its caramelized cream flavor.  The dough was so light and fluffy and ridiculously fresh.  The walk back to the shuttle was nice after filling up our bellies with all the deliciousness. 

The rest of the day was our usual routine which meant back to the cabins to freshen up for dinner.  The view from our balconies was the stunning cathedral.  We met back up in the lounge to enjoy the views of Mallorca together with a cocktail.  I snapped a photo of one of the tea time treats as “dry cake” made us laugh when we saw it.  I can’t say that sounds too appetizing.  Out of the window, a nod to the original trip was spotted, the Silver Endeavor which is the former Crystal Endeavor.  Our original plans were to be on the Crystal Symphony this week until bankruptcy happened for them.  I would love to try a luxury expedition so maybe I will get to try her out someday.  We enjoyed our cocktails until it was time to head to our last dinner of the cruise.

For the last specialty meal, we decided on Teppanyaki as the French bistro menu did not really excite us.  We were the first guests inside but others did eventually join us.  After a little confusion, we learned that all the options, including the vegetarian, cost more than the price we had already paid.  The specialty is a bit confusing compared with NCL and it did not seem to be very popular with guests.  Chris and I ordered the vegetarian and Joe and Ammie the Samurai.  We all started with a glass of sake.  The first course was sushi and vegetable tempura.  The vegetable sushi was very plain but the tempura was tasty.  Next, was a salad with goma dressing and miso soup.  Both the salad and soup were very good.  The main for us was an egg wash roll and sesame tofu steak.  The tofu was fantastic and the chef described how to get such a delicious crunch to it.  He told me he trained with some of the finest vegetarian chefs in Israel and Lebanon.  Our chef was very entertaining and sang lots of songs.  The Samurai had salmon, prawns and sirloin for the main course.  Both also included fried rice and vegetables.   This was one of my favorite meals on the ship.  I was craving some vegetables and this hit the spot.  
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Dessert was caramelized pineapple with ginger ice cream which was very refreshing.  It was a great meal with lots of entertainment.  

Of course, we ended our night in our little corner of the Top Sail lounge.  Alberto was playing guitar which alternated with Olga on piano.  We had a few dances and drinks until we decided to call it a night.   Tomorrow, we disembark in Barcelona but will be spending one more night there before returning home.